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This is Mercy

When she separated from her husband and had nowhere to go, she could not provide for her children.

With her 3 boys and 2 girls, Mercy moved to her home district. “I was lucky because my parents took me back,” she says.

But things were far from easy.

“I was dependent on doing odd jobs here and there. I earned 3,000 Kwacha [£3] a month. I could not afford basic things like food and clothing.

We had no income to buy fertiliser to grow food, so we were very hungry because of poor crop production.”

“I earned 3,000 Kwacha [£3] a month.”

“My children could not go to school regularly because they were too hungry and I was very unhealthy with repeated illness.”

2016 was a year of transformation.

Mercy heard about our Hunger Project, which helps people in circumstances like hers, to overcome the crushing weight of poverty by saving small amounts of money and multiplying it through business activities.

Mercy joined the project. “I saved a little money and used it to produce thobwa [a local beverage].

I sold the first batch and soon doubled my investment. I used that to buy more ingredients and doubled my money again.

I was able to buy some household items as well as more ingredients.

The drinks business carried on running well, so I decided to invest some of the profits into making donuts, which I exchanged for maize.

I sold the maize and made good profits.

With the money I bought a goat, ploughed my field and bought fertiliser.”

As well as running her donut business, Mercy has been farming tomatoes and beans, selling fish and rearing goats and chickens. With just a little training, support and encouragement she has become a successful business woman!

“Most of my needs are now met. I have the ability to pay school fees for my children and I can also buy groceries and clothes.”

“After 9 months I managed to accumulate 124,400 Kwacha [£135]. I used it to pay school fees for my daughter.”

Mercy has also made enough money to build a proper house. “Most of my needs are now met. I have the ability to pay school fees for my children and I can also buy groceries and clothes.”

It is no exaggeration to say that Mercy’s transformation is because of you, our supporters.

It is because of your support that her children can eat 3 meals a day, go to school and sleep in safety.

We are thankful from the bottom of our hearts.

Do you know my biggest dream?

It is that one day, I wont be writing these kind of posts. It is the cry of our hearts, that one day we wont be needed in places like Malawi – that we will be out of a job.

We see that in the future. We have non doubt it’ll happen.

But until then, we wont give up. We’ll keep pushing for change – seeing your generosity converted into self-sufficiency for those who are currently literally unable to feed their children.

We’re so thankful for all you do to support us on this journey.

If you would like to get involved, or want to do a little more, here are 2 great ways that you can help us:

1) If you are not already a member of The £5 Lottery Club, sign up today! Contribute from just £5 a month, for the chance to win 100 cash prizes, including £1,000 every single month!

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GY1 2LF

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Hope For a Child is a charity registered in Guernsey No: 291

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